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Still don't get it

4K views 28 replies 8 participants last post by  CaptainMorgan 
#1 ·
I've looked at the various threads and I'm still in the dark. I'm going to replace all the original speakers in my '01 RT (infinity) system so I'm looking into various options. One is a Power Acoustik LT980/2 amplifier that I got for free. I'm trying to see if I can find a way to make it work for me. I haven't seen the original amp, but based on the location I have to believe it is a lot smaller than this Power Acoustik, which means it won't fit anywhere other than the trunk, and I'm probably too lazy for that. But here's the other issue I need help with: reading reviews I see that it uses a lot of power and gets sizzling hot. One guy even suggested getting another battery. Is this common among amps? Is there a limit for this sort of thing that I should not go above?
 
#2 ·
well...it IS an amplifier...it draws so many watts and sends it to the speakers u have hooked up to it...they DO tend to be hot or at least pretty warm...the factory amp is pretty small...and designed to be contained in a small place....aftermarket amps not so much....most people probably mount amps in the trunk, or under a seat....its out of the way and gets a decent air flow and not crammed into a tight space where overheating can occur.....I have a 00' R/T with the Infinity 240 watt amp set up....instead of replacing the amp I just replaced the speakers with brand new Infinity Kappa speakers....sounds great, better than stock by far....and kept the factory amp....no muss, no fuss, no wiring and easy enough for me to perform myself....I've had amps, subs, capacitors and eq's in the past....thats all good..but the wiring and set up need to be thought out and put in optimally for best performance.....hope u get the system u ultimately want! Good luck!
 
#3 ·
oh, and unless u r kicking up alot more power than the factory amp u won't need another battery....perhaps a larger alternator if its alot higher wattage and maybe an Optima gel type car battery...if u go all out and start putting in multiple amps and caps and stuff u will definitely want another battery just for the amps/caps for the deep bass hits....not sure what u r thinking of for you're setup but hope this helps a little...if nothing else visit a stereo install place and go over it with them and see what they think...if they won't help u then they aren't very reputable....
 
#4 ·
Thanks

Thanks, 2toneRT. My initial plan was just to replace the speakers, but I do have that amp sitting around and I thought I would see if there is a use for it. As I said, I'm way too lazy to install it in the trunk when the existing system is good enough. I have read that I need 2 ohm speakers to go with the existing amp - are the speakers that you bought 2 ohm? And where did you get them?
 
#5 ·
Thanks, 2toneRT. My initial plan was just to replace the speakers, but I do have that amp sitting around and I thought I would see if there is a use for it. As I said, I'm way too lazy to install it in the trunk when the existing system is good enough. I have read that I need 2 ohm speakers to go with the existing amp - are the speakers that you bought 2 ohm? And where did you get them?
That amp you've got has some serious power, and could give you a huge jump in sound from the factory amp.

You don't need a second battery to run that amp though. That's absurd, but you're going to have to put it in the trunk. To do a super simple install just screw it to the back seats and you don't have to build an amp rack or anything. The wiring really wouldn't be that hard, and I would say totally worth doing.

Upgrading just the speakers could help plenty though if you aren't looking for a huge improvement.
 
#7 ·
I purchased Infinity Kappa 693.9i's which are 6x9's and replace the rear package shelf speakers...3 way speakers, 2 ohm....same as factory but instead of paper crap these are made pretty badass....and an aimable tweeter with a button to select higher or normal sound...and for the front doors I got Infinity Kappa 63.9i's which are 6" 3 way 2ohm speakers...fit fine into the doors but I had to cut a hole in the speaker grill for the tweeter which is also aimable...if u look in the 2nd gen show off your intrepid section under my name I have a couple pics posted after the install....the sound is WAY better than stock and I am very satisfied....
 
#8 ·
Thanks again

Gardidien and Captainmorgan almost had me talked into the other amp, but my innate laziness will probably overcome. I'll just go with the speaker upgrade I think. Did you guys also upgrade the sail speakers? Is that possible? Do you still have the middle speaker on top of the dash?
 
#9 ·
Gardidien and Captainmorgan almost had me talked into the other amp, but my innate laziness will probably overcome. I'll just go with the speaker upgrade I think. Did you guys also upgrade the sail speakers? Is that possible? Do you still have the middle speaker on top of the dash?
My car only had the 6 speaker system so no middle speaker. I bought a component set and put the tweeters in the sails. Others will advise against this as it brings the highs closer to your ears and can be overpowering but I haven't any problems and like the way it sounds.
 
#10 ·
I upgraded my speakers just like you did, and I can honestly say my tweets are WAY too loud. I've been messing with the crossovers and the deck but just when I get a good sound out of Steely Dan, I get an insane amount of treb with Snoop Dogg. I think I'm going to have to wire the trebs in the sail speakers to the deck, the amp just puts way too much power to them.

As for the center speaker, our cars have the indention in the dash for them (may or may not have the speaker slits) so there is a place for them. Some of the guys have done a great job of modifying this space for a little bit bigger speaker. It might even out the sound as it's bounced off the windshield.
 
#11 ·
Something is fishy with the issue on the tweeters. You should be able to EQ them appropriately for both types of music. I'm not doubting your issues, just that there isn't a tuning solution.

Having seen a lot of dashes it would be really simple to put a bigger speaker in the center. You have a good amount of space under there doing nothing. I personally leave it empty though. I'm not a fan of screwing with bouncing a center channel, on stereo recordings, off the glass. You get a phase inversion when it comes off the glass as well as weird effects from direct off axis sound waves and the glass reflected sound waves interfering (can be fine, but unpredictable), gives a third location for the same frequency range to come from, and you're using source material that doesn't actually have dedicated information for that speaker. I don't see the point.
 
#14 ·
Tin ear

I have a tin ear compared to you guys. I don't notice all the subtle differences, although the new front door speakers in my '00ES made an amazing difference. They are 4 ohm however, because at the time I didn't know any better. I can tell the difference now in volume control. I've decided to go with just a four speaker upgrade and leave the sails and the middle speaker alone.
 
#15 ·
I have a tin ear compared to you guys. I don't notice all the subtle differences, although the new front door speakers in my '00ES made an amazing difference. They are 4 ohm however, because at the time I didn't know any better. I can tell the difference now in volume control. I've decided to go with just a four speaker upgrade and leave the sails and the middle speaker alone.
If you're still going off the factory amp I would recommend replacing the sail speakers too. The key is that they aren't tweeters, they're 2.5" full range. You can fit a 3" in there with a little work. That would get you a lot more out of the factory system.

I'd also say just leave the rears. The factory ones will be fine for rear fill, so save your money there.
 
#16 ·
See?

I'm still learning. Captainmorgan, you say that there is no value in replacing the rear speakers? I haven't seen that anywhere else. Wouldn't some after market 6x9's be better? And I'll look into the sail speaker thing. Are all the factory speakers full range?
 
#17 ·
I'm still learning. Captainmorgan, you say that there is no value in replacing the rear speakers? I haven't seen that anywhere else. Wouldn't some after market 6x9's be better? And I'll look into the sail speaker thing. Are all the factory speakers full range?
I wouldn't say there is no value. I changed mine to 5 1/2" components. I enjoy the rear stage, but recognize the front stage is the most important. I can hear the rears the way I have mine set up and enjoy the fill they provide. Obviously, more quality is better than the stock that was in there.
 
#22 ·
Another opinion

Here's Hardwareguy on the subject: "You shouldn't even look at 2 ohm speakers! The amp has an EQ circuit that tailors the output to the quirks of the Infinity drivers. It ALWAYS sounds odd to me with aftermarket speakers....and the EQ is why." I believe that what everyone says on here is true - it just proves that it all depends on taste and budget. I'm leaning toward 2 ohm speakers for the sails, front doors, and rear shelf, in part just to save money and keep the Admiral quiet.
 
#23 ·
The latest

It looks like I might trade my 01 RT to my daughter for her 02ES for reasons that I mention in another thread. Her 02 ES has the basic system (no amp, no sail speakers) so it will definitely need an upgrade. If I take over her car, I'm going to install that large amp that I have in the trunk with some new speakers. I plan on keeping the old head unit. That brings up a couple of questions:

The head unit doesn't care about the resistance of the amp, correct? It won't matter that the new amp is 4ohm?

Is there any benefit to adding sail speakers to the new system?
 
#24 ·
It looks like I might trade my 01 RT to my daughter for her 02ES for reasons that I mention in another thread. Her 02 ES has the basic system (no amp, no sail speakers) so it will definitely need an upgrade. If I take over her car, I'm going to install that large amp that I have in the trunk with some new speakers. I plan on keeping the old head unit. That brings up a couple of questions:

The head unit doesn't care about the resistance of the amp, correct? It won't matter that the new amp is 4ohm?

Is there any benefit to adding sail speakers to the new system?
You are correct that the HU doesn't care. The 4 Ohm rating that you're looking at is for the output side of the amp. The input sensativity is what matters and that will just determine how you set your gains (it has impacts on sound quality as well, but it'll work regardless).

You can put components in the front doors and use the sail locations to install tweeters if you want to, but there is no reason to put full range sail speakers in with the 6.5" in the door. Whatever you do will need a crossover to do it right.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Thanks again

"You can put components in the front doors and use the sail locations to install tweeters if you want to, but there is no reason to put full range sail speakers in with the 6.5" in the door. Whatever you do will need a crossover to do it right."

If I understand you correctly, it looks as though you are saying that if I put full range speakers in the doors, there is no advantage to doing anything with sail speakers.

In my ignorance and budget consciousness, I am planning on going with only four speakers two 6.5" in the front door and two 6x9's on the rear shelf. What would be your recommendation? All full range? Some combination of components and full range? What would be your recommendation for speaker combos (up to, say, six speakers)?

Also, what do you mean by "crossover"?
 
#27 ·
"You can put components in the front doors and use the sail locations to install tweeters if you want to, but there is no reason to put full range sail speakers in with the 6.5" in the door. Whatever you do will need a crossover to do it right."

If I understand you correctly, it looks as though you are saying that if I put full range speakers in the doors, there is no advantage to doing anything with sail speakers.

In my ignorance and budget consciousness, I am planning on going with only four speakers two 6.5" in the front door and two 6x9's on the rear shelf. What would be your recommendation? All full range? Some combination of components and full range? What would be your recommendation for speaker combos (up to, say, six speakers)?

Also, what do you mean by "crossover"?
hrmwrm answered your questions pretty well, but I'll still respond and elaborate.

He is right, with the four basic speakers all of them should be full range for that kind of setup.

If you're going up to six speakers, that means you're using a component set for the fronts which has the tweeter separate. That will come with a crossover if you buy it as a single item.

With that amp you have it's a two channel high power unit. I would seriously consider getting a nice set of components to put in the front and save your money on the back speakers. Unless you really care about the back seat listening to music too I would maximize your dollars with investing up front. You could still keep some simple speakers (stock or aftermarket) in the back powered off the head unit and it would likely be more than enough power for rear fill. That's what I did for years before I got really serious into car audio and I was pretty happy.
 
#26 ·
if you're going with 4, then go full range.
i've got 2 - 6.75" 2 ways up front and 2 6x9 3 ways in the rear. driven at 100 watts rms each.
(kicker ks's)
and the crossover is for if you use components. you need something to properly seperate the sounds for the type of speaker(woofer/tweeter).
 
#29 ·
I clearly need to do more basic research on the subject. I like the idea of just going with the stock speakers in the rear and then components up front, but it will need more study.
Yeah, that's kind of how audio goes. There is always more to learn.

I would say figure out your budget first. You can filter out all the information that applies to what you can't afford.
 
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